Commercial Intellectual Property
Allen & Overy’s commercial intellectual property team advises clients on the full range of commercial contracts relating to the exploitation of IP rights.
With the ever-growing focus on innovation, protecting and leveraging IP assets is crucial. A&O’s commercial IP lawyers work closely with our M&A and antitrust colleagues to provide coordinated advice on the full range of IP-rich transactions.
We advise on complex cross-border collaborations, joint ventures and strategic licensing deals involving parties all over the world.
Our experience spans the most complex transactions and includes:
- Licensing, joint ventures and collaborations
- Sales and other forms of disposal of IP rights, including warranty protection
- IP due diligence and verification, including related agreements
- Antitrust risks in licensing, joint venture and non-compete arrangements, including related to the settlement of patent disputes
- Procedures and negotiations of arrangements for parties seeking to exit, or in the event of insolvency or bankruptcy of one party
- Distribution, agency, contract manufacture, supply, sponsorship and other commercial agreements
- IP-backed asset financing and taking security interests over IP assets, including royalty monetisation agreements
Explore our services
Meet our lawyers
Our experience
Marks & Spencer
on the IP aspects of its GBP750m food delivery joint venture with Ocado, the UK’s leading pure play digital grocer.
Exscientia Limited
on a research collaboration and licence agreement with Roche pursuant to which Exscientia will use its AI drug discovery platform to design pre-clinical drug candidates for Roche.
Colfax Corporation
on the complex division and transfer of an existing trade mark portfolio, including WIPO and other foreign trade marks, in connection with its USD57m acquisition of ČKD Kompresory, based in Prague, Czech Republic, from ČKD Group.
Celyad
News and insights
News: 04 April 2024
On March 18, 2024, Allen & Overy filed a complaint on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Massachusetts against the Bristol District Attorney’s Office (BDAO) for records related to…
News: 15 March 2024
Allen & Overy advises Zendesk on its acquisition of AI-powered service automation leader Ultimate
Allen & Overy has advised Zendesk, Inc. (“Zendesk”), a leading global technology company that provides software-as-a-service and customer experience (CX) products, on its acquisition of Ultimate, an…
Publications: 14 March 2024
Infringing gin part II: Court of Appeal victory for M&S against Aldi’s copycat design
Designers and brand owners will be comforted by Marks & Spencer’s Court of Appeal victory. It reinforces the importance of registering designs to protect against copycat products and, as the first…
Publications: 26 February 2024
No patents, no problem: how Formula 1 technology races ahead without patent protection
As arguably the most technologically advanced sport in the world, where cutting-edge R&D is critical to achieving results on the track, it would be reasonable to assume that patents play a pivotal…
Recognition of our work
[Allen & Overy's] dedicated experts are in their element advising on the IP aspects of major cross-border transactions.
WTR 1000 2020
Highly recommended, Transactions.
IAM Patent 1000 2020
As one of the best business law firms in the world, Allen & Overy demonstrates a great flair for IP-driven transactions.
WTR 1000 2018
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